The Lord Calls Samuel

27th June, 2010
Written By Rev Law Hui Seng
Posted By Teresa Han

1Samuel 3:1-21

Main Idea: God calls people to serve His purpose.

Objectives: a. To examine what is God’s calling. b. To challenge the congregation to respond to God’s calling to serve His purpose.

A. Introduction

- Have ever experienced God’s calling to do something? By this, I mean according to the teaching of the overall scripture, there is such a thing as you will have personal encounter with God and being sure of what he or she is told to do for God in life.

- It is so exciting, challenging, and so fill with joy when you get it.

- I am using this great passage of God’s calling of the boy, Samuel to illustrate to you what it means by God’s calling.

B. The Lord calls Samuel.

- In the first place, little baby Samuel came to this world as a result of her mother’s (Hannah) much prayer as she could not conceive a child. In chapter 1, we read that Hannah even prayed that if she was given a child by God, then, she would dedicate him to serve God throughout his life. Look at her vow to God, “…O Lord Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord of all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.” In those days, Israelites could make vows to God with uncut long hair to symbolize the dedication of their life to God. Normally, it was for a period of time but in this case it was for the rest of Samuel’s life and it was done by a mother on behalf of a unborn child.

- Hannah conceived and Samuel was born. She kept her vow with God and sent him to the priest Eli, of the temple.

- Samuel served in the temple under the guidance of the priest, Eli, as a small boy. Chapter 3 says in the midst of rare visions in those days, the Lord called Samuel 3 times to serve His purpose. In this case, it was to prophesy to the Israelites what God would do to them and also, specifically, what he would do to the Eli’s family (verses 11-14).

- For the first 2 verbal calling, the boy Samuel had mistaken them for Eli’s calling because verse 7 says Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. It means Samuel had not experienced God directly.

- With the guidance and mentor of the priest, Eli, the boy Samuel, finally responded to God’s calling (verses 8b – 9). The boy acted according the guidance and responded to God, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” We need to do this to our young people also.

- The calling was affirmed by the recognition of Israelites. Not only God fulfilled everything that He wanted Samuel to prophesy but in verse 20 we are told that the whole of Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized as prophet. Verse 21 continues to say the Lord revealed himself to Samuel through his word.

- So, this is really a biblical example of God’s calling for person to serve His purpose.

C. Applications

- Let us learn the first point of God’s nature of calling. It is basically coming from God (not human desires) and in this case God spoke with a audible voice. It is very specifically for His purpose, like in this case for the purpose of God doing something for Israelites and how God wanted to discipline Eli’s family.

- Secondly, the passage today implies that God calls everyone at every moment to serve Him in his purpose. So, are you sensitive to His calling? Is your present position/ job God’s calling? If not, leave it and find one that God calls you. How do you know God calls you to serve Him at your present vocation?

- Thirdly, there is the implication of the passage that God can call any of you to be full time pastors and missionaries. Can our parents be like Hannah or the priest Eli, to guide our children to respond to God’s calling as pastors and missionaries if God calls them?

D. Conclusion.

- As God calls Samuel to serve Him as a prophet, so God calls you to serve in the area which is pleasing to Him.

Have you any influence?

6th June, 2010.
Written By Rev. Law Hui Seng
Posted By Teresa Han

Main Idea: Need to exercise our influence in the society for Christ.

Objectives: To challenge the congregation to respond to Christ’s teaching on salt and light by prayer, evangelism, witness and protest.

A. Introduction

- I see 2 worlds; tensions…

- One world is like this: a world of Christians who come to church for service on Sunday; for ministry of all kinds like prayer, Sunday School, Youth Ministry, BB, GB, small group, etc; and we can be good at the ministry; and our lives are transformed by the word of God. There is certain degree of holiness in this world. Another world is like this: this other world of secularism and godlessness and it contains all other religions and Christians unavoidably live in it. For most Christians who are living in the second world, most of us out there put in very little effort to impact the second with our holiness and biblical values. In other words, we have no influence over their lives. We have not shown them for examples, what are biblical examples of honesty, integrity, accountability, humility, love, forgiveness, etc. In a lot of cases, we are secularized, we become as dirty, dishonest, angry, revengeful, immoral, depressed as if we have no Jesus, etc.

- I see lots of tensions among Christians: there is this great gospel of salvation and God’s love in our hands and we have the answers to man’s hopelessness and we want put across to people around us but we do not how to do it. Our lives are transformed by God’s word in the bible and we others to experience the same but it is not happening to our loved ones, friends, colleagues and relatives. May be we often find our worship is so enriching but we are not so courageous to invite others to come and share with us. I find that we have little influence in helping others to know Jesus and become His disciples. That is why the sermon topic: Have you any influence?

- Today, as your pastor, your shepherd, I ask God in the person of Jesus to help me to help you to breach the gap; to influence for Christ; to stand up for Christ. A gap some of us have realized long time ago and you are still very much struggling to overcome. May be some of us are still not aware of it. I pray that this sermon on salt and light teaching of Jesus (a small part of teachings by Jesus on the sermon of the mount) will help you to meet the need of breaching the gap.

B. Salt and Light.

- Everybody is familiar with salt and light. They are found in our house. Jesus as boy in Nazareth must often watch his mother Mary use salt as a preservative in the kitchen and light the lamps when the sun went down. He knew their practical usefulness.

- So, Jesus used these images later to show the influence of His disciples on the human society. At that time, his disciples were very few and yet he expected them to do it for the whole earth. What did he mean? At least 4 truths from this teaching of salt and light of Jesus must be emphasized:

- Firstly, Christians (disciples of Jesus) are fundamentally different from non-Christians. The images of salt and light set the 2 communities of Christians and non-Christians apart. There is a clear cut difference between Christians and that of the non-Christians. Jesus is really teaching that the world which we live in; the world his disciples were living at his time was and is dark (gelap), but his disciples at that time and all of us Christians (and disciples) now must be the light in the world. Brothers and sisters, you must be the light in the world. The world is morally decaying very much! Look at how people practice free sex (sex before marriage; sex with others even after marriage; how Aids spread through immoral sex; homosexual sex, etc); how people abuse drug and alcohol; how people, politicians, businessmen, even ordinary people become so greedy; how people of one religion hate and kill people of another religion. You see how decay and dark the world is!

- You see why Jesus calls His disciples and all of us as His disciples to be salt and light. Jesus calls you to be differentiated from darkness and decay. God in the person of Jesus is calling you to be holy, set apart, different and stand up for Jesus everyday. God is calling us all the time, every minute, every second, every moment to be holy, because He says, “I am holy.”

- Secondly, Christians must permeate non-Christian society. Although Christians are morally and spiritually distinct from non-Christians, they are not to socially segregated, separated from the rest of the society. On the other hand, their light must into the darkness, the sinfulness of the world. Their salt must soak into the decaying world, the decaying meat. The lamb does no good if it stays under the bed, and the salt does no good if it stays in the salt container. Similarly, Christians must enter the society and mix with the society and become immersed in its life. We must let our light shines so that our good deeds, good behavior are seen. People see Jesus in us and we are pointing people, showing them the way to the savior.

- Thirdly, Christians can influence non-Christian society. Before the days of refrigeration, salt was the best known preservative. Either it was rubbed into fish and meat, or they were left to soak in it. In this way the decaying process was retarded. Light is even more obviously effective; when the light is switched on, the darkness is actually dispelled. Jesus is really saying that Christians and His disciples can prevent social decay and dispel the darkness of evil.

- In Sarawak, we have 41% Christians in a population of 2.4 million, have you prevented the society from social decay? As our population increases, it looks like we become more and more morally not right. You see more and more of illegal trade; rape; corruption; injustice; cheating cases on money; prostitution; gangsterism; selling of illegal drug; etc. Where is our Christian influence? Whose fault is it? Who to blame?

- We always blame others. If the house is dark when night comes, there is no sense in blaming the house, for that is what happens when the sun goes down. The question to ask is “Where is the light?”

- If he meat goes bad and becomes inedible, there is no sense in blaming the meat, for that is what happens when bacteria are left alone to breed. The question to ask is “Where is the salt?”

- Similarly, if society deteriorates and its moral standards decline, until it becomes like dark night or stinking fish, there is no sense in blaming the society, for that is what happens when fallen men and women are left to themselves, and human selfishness is unchecked. Jesus has taught us to be salt and light; and therefore, if darkness and rottenness still prevail in our society, it is our fault and we must accept the blame.

- Fourthly, Christians must retain our Christian distinctiveness. If salt does not retain its saltiness, it is good for nothing. If light does not retain its brightness, it becomes ineffective. So we claim to be Christ’s followers have to fulfill 2 conditions if we are to obey Christ. On one hand, we have to permeate non-Christian society, and immerse ourselves in the life of the world. On the other hand, while doing so, we have to avoid becoming assimilated to the world. We must retain our Christian convictions, values, standards and lifestyle. These are the things that help us to be influential, and to be salt and light.

- But how can we exert some influence for Christ? What does it mean in practice to be the world’s salt and light? What can we do for social change?

- Brothers and sisters, we must pray and do evangelism; we must witness and protest.

C. Prayer and Evangelism.

- Firstly, in order to influence our society, we must pray a lot as there is power in prayer. I beg you not to dismiss it just as a holy act; I beg you not to underestimate its importance in causing people to come to know Christ and be saved. I have preached to you all power, wisdom, faith and resources of God almighty is available to Christians; unless we pray, and we have no access to them. We cannot read the bible without being impressed by its constant emphasis on the effectiveness of prayer. James 5:16, “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” Matthew 18:19, Jesus says, “…if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my father in heaven.” We may not understand fully the rationale of intercession. But somehow it enables us to enter the field of spiritual conflict, and to align ourselves with the good purpose of God, so that his power is released and the principalities of evil are bound.

- The Filipino dictator, President Marcos, was as a result of the power of prayer, not people power as claimed. How could the machine guns and tanks fired at 2 milliion human barricades who were unarmed civilians, Roman Catholics and Protestants, who prayed! You see the power of prayer?

- Our churches must pray for those who are corrupted and injustice to be removed from power and authority. 1Timothy 2:1-4 actually urged us to pray for our authorities so that there may be peace and harmony in our country.

- With prayer, we must bring along the gospel as it is powerful. So, we must do evangelism. Gospel changes peoples’ lives. Have your lives being changed by the gospel? Every Christian must be able to echo Paul’s words with conviction, Roman 1:16, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.”

D. Witness and Protest

- We see the power of the gospel in transforming life. In fact, gospel is made up of truth. All truth is powerful. God’s truth is much more mighty than the devil’s crooked lies. We should never be afraid of the truth. Nor do we ever need to be afraid for the truth. For God watches over the truths and He will never allow the truth to be suppressed.

- As Paul put it, “we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth” (2Corinthians 13: 8)

- We Christians and disciples are all called like our Master, Jesus, to bear witness to the truth.

- We must also protest if we find something not truthful. We may voice it or we write against it or we do not want to participate in it. So, are you for the truth of anything? Not just on matters concerning God, but also matters on every day life, like whether somebody has done something or say something. If you are there, can you witness for the truth?

E. Conclusion.

- You see why if you are putting in all the effort to be salt and light, you can make our society better in every sense? Your salt and light are at stake today.

The Trinity (Part 1 of 2)

30th May, 2010
Written By Rev. Law Hui Seng
Posted By Teresa Han 

John 1:1; Colossians 2:9; John 14:16; 16: 8, 12-16; 1Corinthians 12: 4-6.

Main Idea: The Trinitarian God is really one God.

Objectives: a. To help you to appreciate the Trinitarian God and build a strong personal relationship with Him. b. To help you to clear your confusion about the Trinitarian God.

A. Introduction.

- The word ‘Trinity’ is not in the Bible. It is a theological term not a biblical term. By theological we mean that it is a term which best expresses what we believe the bible teaches. By not biblical we mean that the word itself is never used in Scripture. But it is definitely pure biblical teaching!

- The gist of the Trinity teaching is like this: one God in 3 persons: Father, Son, Spirit. God is one in his essential being but in this being there are 3 persons. Though they are 3 persons they do not compete with each other. God reveal him self to human beings like us in 3 forms.

- The 3 persons are distinctly clear in the one true God. The Father is 100% God, the Son is 100% God and the Spirit is 100% God.

- The Apostles’ Creed was one of the earliest creeds and shows the belief in the Father, Son and Spirit. You still remember, “I believe in God the Father almighty, and in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord, who was born of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, …”

- A word of caution: do not allow Muslims or Cultists to accuse you of believing in 3 gods. This is their simplistic way of making you feel stupid or confused.

B. To understand the Trinity we begin with Jesus (John 1:1)

- John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the word was with God, and the Word was God.”

- Was he a person? Yes. He was a man. 1Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,” He had personality: He had feelings. Matthew 14:14 “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.” He had a mind. Philippians 2:5 “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.”

- Was he God? Yes. He existed from the beginning (John 1:1). He was creator. John 1:3 “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. He was fully God (John 1:1).

- He was worshipped Matthew 2:2 “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” He forgave sins. Matthew 9:2 “Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”
C. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead.

- The Holy Spirit is a person. Jesus described the Holy Spirit as another paraclete. John 14:16 “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever”

- A paraclete (Greek, parakletos) is one who comes alongside. When Jesus called the Holy Spirit ‘another’ paraclete, it means the Holy Spirit is a person just as much as Jesus is a person.

- Take note the Holy Spirit is never an ‘it’ but a ‘he’. John 16:8, 12-14 “When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment…I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.”

- Romans 8:26 “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words that cannot express.”

- The Holy Spirit has personality. Acts 5:32 “We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

- The Holy Spirit has feelings. Ephesians 4:30 “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

- The Holy Spirit has a will. Acts 16: 6-7 “Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.”

- The Holy Spirit is God. He is creator. Genesis 1:2 “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”

- He is called God. 1Corinthians 12: 4-6 “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.”
- For today, we can see distinctly the Trinitarian godhead. I pray that you will see that the Trinitarian Godhead is real to you. It is not something for your knowledge and information only. I pray that as you are clear of the Godhead in 3 persons, the next time I preach to you the second part, you will find Trinity is very practical, it is in your life.

D. Conclusion.

- You see why it has to be Trinity? He can get personal with you and He is real to you.